Wasted my whole Saturday on a dud of a book

I picked up a debut novel at the library sale for $1. It had a cool cover and the summary sounded great. But after 150 pages I realized nothing was happening, no plot, no stakes. I forced myself through the rest and now I'm mad I could have read something good instead. Has anyone else stuck with a book way too long hoping it would get better?

Old timer told me to run high idle for 5 minutes before shutdown, been doing it backwards

My mentor Jack who worked on Cat engines since the 80s always said to let a turbo diesel idle for 5 minutes after a hard pull before killing it. I did that for 2 years religiously. Then last month I found a service bulletin from the engine manufacturer that said modern turbos with water cooling don't need that extended idle time, and actually prolonged idling can cause cylinder glazing and carbon buildup. Now I'm wondering if I did more harm than good following his advice. Who else got handed down shop wisdom that turned out to be outdated or just plain wrong?

Saw a debate online about digital vs. paper journals

I read a blog comparing the two methods. The writer said digital saves time but paper forces reflection. Do you think one is better for long term habit tracking or is it just personal choice?

Went to that small anime con in Knoxville and nobody was talking about the dubs

Spent 3 hours chasing an air leak that was just a gasket I installed upside down

Working on a 500-gallon tank last Tuesday, I kept hearing this hiss every time we pressurized it. Me and my partner checked every flange, every weld, every fitting. We were about to pull the whole head off when my apprentice pointed at the manhole gasket. I had seated it with the raised lip facing outward instead of inward. The manual even had a diagram, but I was in a hurry and skipped it. Three hours of my life gone because I didn't look at a picture for 10 seconds. Has anyone else wasted a whole morning on a mistake that simple?

Tried rolling clothes vs. folding them for a 2 week trip to Chicago

I always rolled my stuff but last month I folded everything using the bundle method and packed way more in my carry on. Had room for an extra pair of boots too. Has anyone else experimented with different packing styles?

That job in Austin last month broke my trowel technique for good

We were finishing a 12,000 square foot warehouse slab near the airport and the mix was way too stiff. By hour four my arm was shot and I got a nasty divot that cost us a half hour of rework. My foreman said "just wet it more and keep moving" but that ruined the finish on that section. Has anyone else dealt with a bad mix that throws off your whole day?

That review that made me ditch my favorite style of writing forever

I was putting up my fanfic on a forum about 8 months ago and someone commented that my dialogue all sounded like lectures. They said every character talked like they were teaching a class and it killed the vibe. I went back and read my last 3 chapters and couldn't unsee it, every line was basically an info dump. So I started reading my stuff out loud to catch it and now I edit way harder, has anyone else had a reader just nail you with feedback like that?

So tired of people saying cats knead because they were weaned too early

I keep seeing this online that cats knead blankets because they were taken from their mother too soon. My cat Mochi has done this since I got her 3 years ago from a rescue in Denver, and she was with her mom until 14 weeks. Last week she kneaded my wool sweater for a full 20 minutes while purring. I think it's just a comfort thing like a happy habit, not some sign of trauma. Has anyone else's cat kneaded even though they had a normal weaning timeline?

Hit 42 cat books on my shelf today without even trying

I was just dusting my coffee table this morning and got curious so I counted. 42 cat coffee table books piled up on three different shelves in my living room. I didnt even realize I had that many until I started stacking them by size. Most are those funny pose books with cats in weird outfits but I got a nice collection of vintage ones from thrift stores too. Started about 4 years ago when I found a beat up copy of Cats of Paris at a yard sale for 50 cents. Now I got everything from black and white photography collections to that one with the cats dressed as famous painters. Has anybody else here just suddenly noticed their stash got way bigger than they thought?